Anchor ⚓︎ Jake 'Hangman' Seresin

⚓︎ chapter three ⚓︎

"What are you doing here?" She asked, relieved to see a somewhat familiar face.  Sure, they didn't really talk a whole lot before but she at least knew who he was.  And she was just grateful he had saved her from Beck.

"I got reassigned to Norfolk just a few weeks ago," he responded as they both sat down at the bar.

Eleanor slowly nodded in acknowledgment. Norfolk was the naval base that was just a half hour from Chesapeake Bay, where she lived. It meant that he would be living here for at least the next few years. She didn't know why, but the thought made Eleanor excited.

"How do you like the area so far?" She asked.

Jake smiled. "I mean, it's not as warm as Florida was but I'm sure I will find a reason to enjoy being stationed here," he told her, his eyes soft as he watched her.

Eleanor felt a light blush rise on her cheeks, causing her to quickly chug the rest of her beer. Jake had to admit he was impressed, he had never seen a girl keep up as well as she was with her alcohol.  He laughed lightly at her reaction as she tried to still hide the blush behind her brown hair.

"Well, I'm sure you will find something," she assured him as she tried to steer the conversation elsewhere and gently patted his hand.

Her hand stayed on his as they made eye contact, remembering how something similar had occurred just a month prior. Jake took a chance and gently grabbed her hand, intertwining their fingers.  Eleanor's heart started to pound out of her chest as she looked at their hands. She really liked how her hand seemed to fit perfectly into his.

Then she thought of Bradley and how he would not like this one bit. He was very protective of Eleanor and he didn't like Hangman, so Bradley told her to keep a distance from him and she trusted her brother's judgment. At least, she did most of the time.  Immediately, she pulled her hand away from his, already missing the feeling.  Jake awkwardly shifted before taking a swig of his beer, finishing it off.

"So why was that guy bothering you?" Jake asked, trying to keep the awkwardness at bay.

Eleanor couldn't help but shake her head. "It was a blind date," she told him, "and it was already horrible five minutes into it."

"What did he do?" Jake inquired, genuinely curious.

A heavy sigh left Eleanor because she knew Jake would definitely be offended by this as well. "He basically insulted the fact that I actually make money with my job as a photographer," she began, "then he insulted the Navy."

Jake's eyes widened at that last statement. "Oh, what an ass," he told her, "you definitely dodged a bullet with that one."

She nodded her head hard with a dry laugh. "Trust me, I know.  My father would be turning in his grave if I gave a guy like that a chance."

"What about a fellow Navy man?" Jake asked, a hint of flirting behind his tone.

Eleanor shrugged.  "Guess we'll see what happens."

They fell into another awkward silence, unsure of what to say next. Eleanor noticed how incredibly close they were and his musky cologne scent hit her nose. She remembered it from the night they slow danced and how he gave her his coat to keep her warm and how nice it smelled. She really liked the way it smelled.

"Is it too forward to ask if I can buy you another drink?" He asked, hoping she wasn't wanting to leave yet.

Eleanor looked at him before giving a small shrug. "It's your money," she told him, "you may do as you please but I won't say no."

He then ordered them both another beer. Eleanor took a glance around the bar before looking back at him. "Are you here by yourself or are there any other naval aviators here as well?" She asked.